FLINT — The suspect in the Monday Flint shooting death of a young woman who had lived in the Vanderbilt and Gaylord areas before moving downstate several years ago was arraigned Thursday on one count each of premeditated murder and felony murder, both punishable by up to life in prison.

According to the Flint Police Department, former Otsego County resident Mariann Easter, 20, was found shot to death at her mother’s East Belvedere Avenue apartment in Flint around midnight after Easter’s 44-year-old husband, David Lee Davis of Davison, allegedly shot her several times with a handgun.

Easter’s mother, Joanne Easter, 47, was reportedly shot multiple times and was listed in critical condition at Hurley Hospital in Flint following the shooting. On Friday, Sgt. Drake Sparks with the Flint Police Department, said the woman’s condition had been upgraded to serious.

According to a Thursday news release from Genessee County prosecutor David Leyton, Easter’s husband of two weeks had kicked in the front door of her mother’s apartment, entered the residence and proceeded to shoot both women with a handgun.

Leyton said police reports indicated officers were dispatched to the residence and upon arrival found the two women inside, each with multiple gunshot wounds. Mariann Easter was transported to Hurley Hospital by emergency medical personnel where she was later pronounced dead.

Officials said Easter’s husband turned himself into police Tuesday morning around 11 following the shootings.

Sgt. Sparks said Davis is currently being held without bond at the Genesee County Jail following Thursday’s arraignment.

In addition to the two counts of murder, the Davison man was charged with one count of assault with intent to murder, punishable by a term of up to life in prison or any term of years; two counts of first degree home invasion, 20-year felonies; one count of felon in possession of a firearm, a five-year felony; and one count of felony firearm, a mandatory two-year felony.

According to reports, Mariann Easter had recently moved into the East Belvedere Avenue apartment with her mother after moving out of an area residence she had shared with Davis.

Vanderbilt resident Bernie Matelski, a cousin of Joanne Easter, said the family had moved to Vanderbilt when Mariann was in elementary school. She attended school in Vanderbilt for several years. Matelski said prior to moving back to Flint, the mother and daughter had lived in Gaylord.

Patty Wade, a friend of the Easter family said Joanne Easter had undergone successful surgery Thursday for injuries she sustained in the shooting and is showing signs of progress.

“She’s still not out of the woods, but she is doing better,” Wade said of her friend who she has spent time with at the hospital this week after Monday’s shooting.

Wade said she had known the family when they lived in Flint prior to moving to Otsego County when Mariann Easter was a young girl. Wade became reacquainted with the family after their return to the Flint area about three years ago.

Wade declined to comment on the relationship between the younger Easter and her husband, only saying, “She had made the right decision,” about moving back in with her mother. “It was just a bad situation.”

According to Wade, Mariann Easter has a 4-year-old son but did not have custody of the boy at the time of Monday’s shooting.

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